Crimson Reaper
by missing nin
Summary: In the heat of the moment Natsu does what he's failed to do countless times, confess to Lucy ; Given an ultimatum, he waits for her answer, but what follows causes Natsu to fall into despair and pain, dwindling his humanity and giving birth to the crimson reaper
1. A dragon's heart breaks

**Chapter 1: A dragon's heart breaks **

A year had passed since Fairy-Tail had reclaimed their title as the number one guild in all of Fiore. The guild had grown from strength to strength during that time. Using the prize money from the Grand Magic Games they were able to pay off all their debt and move back into the original guild in the centre of Magnolia. It took a while but eventually the days were just as they were eight years ago, everyday was a celebration.

Currently the guild was in state of merriment as they partied through the night. Drunken singing and dancing accompanied by the occasional brawl was the order of the day.

Natsu sat across the table staring at Lucy as she laughed. The blonde was so enthralled in reading her book she failed to notice Natsu gawking at her. Natsu nervously fidgeted with the mug of ale in his hand as if waiting for Lucy to finally notice him.

Lucy held the book in her hand and gazed deeply into the pages but something caught her attention, a faint radiance from across the table. It was warm and felt kind, she slowly glanced across the table and caught Natsu staring.

The pink haired dragon slayer immediately turned away and began chugging his ale. He waited so long for her to look up but now that she actual was, he was too nervous to actually do anything. He gulped down all the ale, but continued to act like he was drinking to try and hide his embarrassment.

Natsu looked around the guild, trying to take his mind off the strange sensation that consumed him every time he saw Lucy. He watched as Gajeel and Levy would steal glances at each other, Evergreen continued act tsundere towards Elfman and Juvia tried to force herself on Gray, though he was having none of it. Even Happy was trying his best to woo Carla, with the blue Exceed on his knees trying to get Carla to accept a rose.

Natsu looked back and saw that Lucy was staring at him. She was looking directly at him.

"Natsu, is something wrong? You look like you want to say something." Lucy spoke.

Natsu kept his eyes locked on Lucy's as he tried to speak. His mouth opened but no words came out as he struggled to find the right ones.

"Are you okay?" The blonde asked slightly worried.

"Lu…Lu…Lu…" Natsu began stuttering.

"What happened, cat got your tongue?" Lucy chuckled softly.

Natsu heard the gentle laugh with his keen sense of hearing and suddenly found his spirit diminishing and grew unsure of himself. His head fell and his eyes were now staring at the wooden table.

"Natsu, if you want to talk about something you can. We're friends after all." Lucy smiled.

'I feel excited whenever I'm around you. Just hearing the sound of your voice is enough to get me through the day. When you look at me I feel confused, energized, nervous and ecstatic, all at the same time. When you smile, it's the most beautiful thing in the world.' Natsu confessed in his heart. The thoughts were swirling around in his head but he just couldn't say it.

"If you're not going to say anything I'm going to get back to reading my book." Lucy shook her head as she picked up her book and started reading again.

Natsu picked up his mug and tried chugging his ale only to realize that it was empty. The realisation that he would get nowhere with Lucy sank in and he got up defeated and made his way over to the bar

XXXXX

Natsu rested under the shade of a Sola tree in South Gate Park. The dragon slayer was all alone with his thoughts. Natsu was madly in love with Lucy, so much so that he couldn't stop thinking about her.

As he relaxed under the tree the blonde celestial mage was all he could think off. He wanted to hold her hand. He wanted to embrace her. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to … Natsu shook his head violently pushing out the thoughts.

Natsu then remembered that the reason he decided to sit under the Sola Tree, was because he liked that specific spot because of the memories he had there. He had done a lot in the shade of that Sola Tree, beaten Gray, got beaten by Erza, got beaten by Gildarts, got beaten by Laxus, got beaten by Mirajane even Lucy had slapped him by that tree. Now that he thought back on it, the tree may have been bad luck.

"There you are flame brain." Gray scoffed.

"I'm not in the mood for your nonsense today Gray." Natsu mumbled.

"You look lost in thought." Gray noted.

"I am. I've got something important on my mind." Natsu admitted.

"Oh, you're thinking about Lucy." Gray teased.

"How did you know?" Natsu questioned defensively.

"It's obvious to anyone who's seen you look at her. You're madly in love with her." Gray explained.

"I just don't know what to do about it." Natsu mumbled.

"Stop being a baby and be a man. Tell her how you feel, go and confess your feelings to her." Gray exclaimed.

"I never expected you to say that. I thought you'd want to keep her all to yourself." Natsu scoffed.

"What are you talking about?" Gray got defensive this time.

"I'm a dragon slayer; my sense of smell is regrettably powerful. You used to have Lucy's faint scent on your body, the scent of Lucy's sweat on you." Natsu muttered.

"That was a while back, things were just casual. All we did was fool around. It wasn't anything serious." Gray confessed.

"You used to sleep at her apartment." Natsu retorted.

"Were you spying on us?" Gray demanded to know.

"I didn't need to spy. You used her shampoo idiot." Natsu growled.

"You have to let go. Whatever happened between Lucy and me is history. We were never in love with each other." Gray sighed.

"I know that but I just don't know what to do. I'm crazy about her but I'm too scared to say anything." Natsu gritted his teeth.

"I can't really tell you what to do. I'm not good at relationships. All I can say is that if you don't tell her, you might end up regretting it every day." Gray warned.

XXXXX

The next day Natsu walked home kicking the ground annoyed and upset with himself for not being able to talk to Lucy. He was never this nervous around her. It was only after he realised he had feelings for her that he found it hard to speak to her. He remembered his talk with Gildarts from a few months ago that started all this.

**Flashback**

Natsu pushed open the door to Gildarts' house and invited himself in. The dragon slayer found the guild ace sitting on the couch reading the bikini issue of sorcerer weekly.

"Ecchi…" Natsu mumbled.

"I see you still have no manners." Gildarts sighed.

"So what did you want?" Natsu asked.

"Cana tells me you're having a few problems with your love life, or should I say non-existent love life." Gildarts smirked.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Natsu replied defensively.

"Oh, I thought you'd be more excited than this. After all, you have the chance to get advice from a man who has conquered the hearts of Fiore's women." Gildarts boasted.

"So who is this man?" Natsu asked.

"It's me, you idiot. I know a thing or two about woman and I want to share that knowledge with you." Gildarts retorted.

"What knowledge do you want to share?" Natsu asked.

"I didn't think I would have to ever have this talk but you and her are both young adults." Gildarts began sweating.

"I don't see where you're going with this." Natsu complained.

"Did Igneel ever have the birds and bees talk with you?" Gildarts asked.

"Birds and bees?" Natsu replied confused.

"I'll take that as a no." Gildarts sighed. "Have a seat Natsu; we need to have a very important talk."

"A talk? Is this like training?" Natsu asked as he sat down.

"No, this is more like education." Gildarts responded.

"Boring…" Natsu murmured.

"Are you and her in a relationship?" Gildarts asked.

"I don't understand." Natsu answered.

"I can safely assume no but I'll still have to have the talk." Gildarts gritted his teeth.

"This is boring." Natsu complained.

"Listen, this is important. When a man and a woman have feelings for each other, sometimes they want to express those feelings physically." Gildarts explained.

"Oh, like a fight." Natsu nodded.

"NO!" Gildarts exclaimed. "Not a fight, it's a more intimate thing."

"I think I understand." Natsu grinned.

"I doubt it." Gildarts replied.

"They make babies." Natsu said.

"I guess that's kind of right. So do you know where babies come from?" Gildarts questioned.

"Off course, when parents want a baby they fight the stork demon and if they win they get a baby." Natsu answered proudly.

"I don't even want to know where you heard that." Gildarts groaned.

"That's the story Mira used to tell us when we were kids." Natsu explained.

"Figures…" Gildarts muttered.

"What's this all about?" Natsu inquired.

"I just wanted to make sure you were ready for life and love." Gildarts replied.

"Love…" Natsu's voice trailed off.

"That's what I said." Gildarts nodded.

"I feel happy whenever I'm around her. Just being around her, hearing the sound of her voice is enough to get me through the day. When she looks at me I feel confused, excited, nervous and ecstatic all at the same time. When she smiles, it's the most beautiful thing in the world. Ever since I've met her, I've felt this way." Natsu thought out loud.

"That sounds like love. I knew you loved Lisanna." Gildarts smirked.

"I was thinking about Lucy." Natsu confessed.

"I thought you were in love with Lisanna." Gildarts replied. "When Cana told me you were having trouble, I assumed it was with Lisanna."

"Lisanna was my first crush when we were kids but this is love. Gildarts, you have to tell me how to deal with this." Natsu pleaded.

"If you tell me more about your problem, then I can help." Gildarts sighed.

"I love her, I know I love her. I want to be with her. I want to be more then friends. I want to be able to hold her hand. Feel how soft, how warm, she is. I want to hold tightly and keep her safe. I want to taste her lips…" Natsu stopped when he realised what he was saying.

"I think you should tell her everything you told me. You can leave the last part about tasting her lips out." Gildarts laughed.

**End flashback**

"I was looking for you earlier." Lucy said appearing in front of Natsu.

Natsu looked up and realised he had unconsciously walked all the way to Lucy's house. The blonde was currently in her pyjamas, not the fan service one, and standing in her doorway.

"Did you need something Luc?" Natsu asked.

"No, I was just worried about you." Lucy smiled.

"Why?" Natsu spoke confused.

"You seemed like you wanted to tell me something important tonight but you couldn't." Lucy replied.

"There was something but I can't say it." Natsu admitted.

"Natsu, you can tell me anything." Lucy laughed. "No matter how crazy it is I'll hear you out."

"It's not easy for me to say." Natsu mumbled.

"I never thought I'd see the day you were reduced to mumbling." Lucy giggled.

"I'm going to go now." Natsu said red faced.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have laughed." Lucy said reaching and grabbing Natsu's hand.

The dragon slayer then caught a whiff of Lucy's natural scent. It was soft and sweet, it felt so perfect to his senses.

"You smell so pretty." Natsu's mouth moved faster than his brain.

"Err, thanks I think." Lucy said stepping back.

"I'm making a fool of myself." Natsu growled frustrated.

"Whenever I get stuck writing I like to look up at the stars and think." Lucy revealed.

"Think about what?" Natsu asked.

"You, Fairy-Tail, my mum, my dad, anything really." Lucy answered.

"When I think about you my head gets all fuzzy." Natsu responded.

"I never you I had that affect on you." Lucy smiled.

"Lucy, I love you." Natsu blurted out.

The dragon slayer couldn't control his mouth any more. He was just speaking and regretting it.

"Natsu, what are you talking about?" Lucy turned red.

"I want to spend the rest of my life with you." Natsu continued.

"Natsu, I don't know what to say." Lucy mumbled flustered. "I need time to think about everything, give me a week to think properly about this, Natsu."

XXXXX

A week had passed painfully and slowly. Natsu had not spoken to Lucy during that time. In fact, the blonde and the dragon slayer both avoided the guild. Natsu had been racking his brains and emotions for a week, waiting on Lucy's response.

The sun was setting as Natsu and Gajeel leaned against the building that was directly across Lucy's on the other side of cannel. They were completely hidden by the long shadow of the building created by the setting sun.

"What the hell am I doing here?" Gajeel muttered.

"You think I wanted to ask you for help. I'm out of options, besides you help me with this and I'll help you with Levy." Natsu moaned feeling anxious about his decision.

"Who said I want anything to do with Levy?" Gajeel scoffed.

"Oh, is that so. That's good because Carl from the book store wants to ask her out." Natsu teased.

"I'll kill that bastard." Gajeel growled.

"Hi hi hi…" Natsu giggled.

"Okay, I'll help you." Gajeel gritted his teeth. "What do you want?"

"There's a chance that I'll lose my conviction when I see Lucy. I need you to stop me from leaving. It's been a week; I can't take this wait anymore." Natsu stated.

"I'll stop you by any means." Gajeel nodded breaking his knuckles in preparation of punching Natsu.

As they waited, they saw Lucy approaching her house accompanied by Gray. Lucy walked up to the door and unlocked it, but before she could open the door Gray grabbed her from behind and spun her around. The ice-make wizard and celestial mage then passionately locked lips before stumbling into the house and closing the door behind them.

"I was not expecting that. I feel like a peeping tom now." Gajeel spoke up.

"I… I… I… can't believe it." Natsu stuttered.

"What can't you believe, the fact that they're together or that they make skirts that short." Gajeel asked.

"I guess this is useless now." Natsu reached into pocket and pulled out a small gift wrapped box. The fire dragon slayer then tossed the box into the flowing water in front of him.

"Why'd you do that? We could have returned the ring." Gajeel complained.

"Oh sorry, I just lost it." Natsu apologized.

"This is the last time I lend you money." Gajeel grunted.

"I was an idiot to think that she could love me. Gray is… Gray is her type. He's cool, mature and confident when it comes to relationships. They have history." Natsu cursed.

"You're being an idiot now, there's no way that stripper is better than you." Gajeel replied.

"Gray and Lucy… I didn't see that. I should have… I should have known." Natsu moaned.

"Calm down, I'll take you to this bar I know to find another girl." Gajeel suggested.

"My chest feels so tight." Natsu gritted his teeth. "I guess she made her choice."

Natsu began walking away with a pained expression on his face.

"Oi, where do you think you're going?" Gajeel questioned.

Natsu didn't respond and continued walking.

XXXXX

Water dripped from Natsu with each step he took, as he entered Makarov's office. The dragon slayer's clothes were soaked and heavy, as they clung to his skin.

"Natsu, did you go for a swim?" Makarov asked as he examined the pink haired mage.

"No, I got caught in the rain." Natsu answered.

"You should have gone home and dried off instead of coming in here and dripping all over my carpet." Makarov sighed.

"I'm leaving Master." Natsu spoke.

"What are you talking about boy? Is this some kind of joke?" Makarov scoffed.

"It hurts too much. I can't stand it. It just hurts thinking about her." Natsu mumbled.

"You're in love with Lucy…" Makarov sighed. "When Mirajane told me that they were fooling around I was worried that you'd get hurt."

"I told her how I felt, I told her everything. She said she needed time to think but all she did was go back to Gray." Natsu growled putting a hole in the wall with his fist.

"You want to walk away from everything, your whole life because of a broken heart. I can't allow that. As guild master, it is my duty to keep you on the right path." Makarov refused.

"I didn't come here to get your permission master. I'm leaving. I just came here to say goodbye." Natsu responded.

"What about your friends? What about Happy?" Makarov questioned.

"I'm not really sure what everyone will think. As for Happy, he knows how broken I feel. Things are finally looking up for him since he got Carla to say yes to date him. He's going to stay with Lisanna while I'm gone." Natsu replied. "Good bye."


	2. A lot can change in three years

**Thanks to everyone for the reviews, story alerts, favourite story and favourite author adds.**

**Chapter 2: A lot can change in three years**

The normally raucous mood of Fairy-Tail was temporarily on hold as the guild gathered around Carla and Happy. The Exceed couple were on a table in the middle of the guild hall showing off a blue egg wrapped in a blanket. The egg was almost identical to the one Happy hatched from. Aside from Happy and Carla there was a third, younger Exceed that was the spitting image of Carla.

"Papa, papa." The young Exceed squealed tugging Happy.

"Yes, what is it Summer?" Happy asked his daughter.

"Am I going to have a brother?" Summer asked.

"We can't be sure as yet sweetie." Carla spoke.

Sitting at the bar was Lucy and Cana. The two had just returned from a job and were having a drink to relax.

"You two look like hell." Mirajane smiled as she refilled the duos cups.

"That job was hell. It was not worth the 90000 jewel reward." Lucy complained.

"If we weren't so desperate we would have left it." Cana added.

"Can you believe it?" Mirajane smiled looking over towards the Exceed.

"Yeah, it's hard to believe. I remember three years ago when Happy was on his knees trying to get her to accept his roses." Cana reminisced.

"Three years…" Lucy mumbled before she finished her entire cup of wine. "Pour me another, Mira."

"You can't keep beating yourself up over it." Cana sighed.

"It's my fault. He left because of what I did." Lucy gritted her teeth.

"You have to stop this. Natsu was a grown man. He left everything behind, his entire life, just because you turned him down. That's his fault, not yours." Cana grabbed Lucy's shoulder.

"What if something happened to him and he couldn't return." Lucy theorized.

"Erza, Laxus, Gajeel and even Master Makarov searched for him." Cana reminded.

"I can't help but think about him." Lucy smiled sadly.

"He is probably living a good life wherever he is." Cana scoffed.

"Have you guys bought your wedding gift as yet?" Mirajane asked, changing the topic.

"No, we just got back with the money." Lucy sighed.

"That store keeper promised he would keep the book for us until we got the money. Hopefully that pervert kept his word." Cana muttered.

"The wedding is in three days. I'm so excited. Levy looks so beautiful in her wedding dress." Mirajane gushed.

"I heard Gajeel put up quite a fight when he was getting fitted for his tux." Cana laughed. "Lily had to transform to help the tailor."

"I can't wait for all of us to wear our bridesmaid dresses together." Mirajane said.

"I'm just hoping that there are cute guys there." Cana smirked.

"You shouldn't be looking at other guys when you have Bacchus." Lucy scolded.

"I'm just looking, nothing else." Cana laughed.

"Laxus is going to look so cute in his suit." Mirajane continued to gush.

"You've been married a year and you still act like you just got together." Lucy smiled.

"I haven't really noticed." Mirajane replied.

"I never thought I would see the demon Mirajane enjoy being a house wife." Cana remarked.

"I can't exactly go out on jobs in this condition." Mirajane rubbed her belly.

"You're two months pregnant but you still have your model figure. It's impossible." Lucy said envious.

"Any idea when Erza is going to get back from her secret rendezvous." Cana asked.

"It's hard to tell. Hopefully she'll be back in time for the wedding. It's tough for her to meet Jellal with the magic council still looking for him." Mirajane answered sadly.

"Even though Jellal has done so much for them they still want to imprison him." Lucy mumbled.

"Who else is going to come for the wedding?" Cana asked curious.

"Master Makarov is bringing Porlyusica as his date." Mirajane revealed.

"No way, she actually agreed." Lucy replied shocked.

"Shush, it's a secret." Mirajane whispered.

"I think we should head out and buy the book." Cana said looking at the clock on the wall.

"We're late." Lucy exclaimed.

XXXXX

Gajeel sat on the roof of the Old Cathedral, the place of his battle with Laxus all those years ago. The iron dragon slayer was chewing on steel nails and looking out over Magnolia intently.

"You look troubled." Panther Lily said flying up to join Gajeel.

"The wedding is a few days away." Gajeel responded.

"Three days in fact." Lily corrected. "Don't tell me you're getting cold feet."

"It's not that. It's just that we've been at peace for a while now. I can sense a force approaching that's going to burst our bubble." Gajeel explained.

"Well, you have had the worst luck when it comes to your relationship with Levy. I wouldn't be surprised if a war was to breakout on your wedding day." Lily sighed.

"I wouldn't be surprised either. In fact I'm expecting something to go wrong." Gajeel cursed.

"You'll have the entire guild there to back you up. In that regard everything should be fine, no matter what goes wrong." Lily assured.

"Hopefully everyone stays sober long enough to help out in an emergency." Gajeel sneered.

"That could prove to be a problem considering the fact that there's an open bar." Lily exhaled worryingly.

"Oi, I don't remember paying for an open bar. " Gajeel complained.

"You left your life savings with Levy and told her to organise everything and not to bother you with the details. She's planned quite an extravagant wedding." Lily laughed.

"If it was me I'd just sign the document and get it over with but for her, I'll put up with all this crap." Gajeel sighed.

XXXXX

Makarov sat on the railing of the second floor balcony looking down on Fairy Tail. He was reminiscing about the years gone by and thought about how much things have changed.

"Old man, don't tell me you're getting senile. You've been sitting there doing nothing for a while." Laxus said as he joined his grandfather.

"I'm still young enough to give you kids a run for your money." Makarov laughed.

"You can't even run." Laxus retorted.

"How was your meeting at the wizard council?" Makarov questioned.

"It was exactly what you said; they offered me a position as one of the ten wizard saints." Laxus answered.

"I'm interested to hear what your response was." Makarov smiled.

"I turned them down. I thought about accepting but I can't do it. Becoming a wizard saint will mean working directly for the wizard council and comes with a huge responsibility to serve Fiore. My family is my only priority. Mirajane, my unborn child and Fairy-Tail." Laxus explained.

"Do you really mean that?" Makarov asked.

"Off course I do." Laxus responded.

"That makes my decision all that much easier." Makarov smirked.

"What decision is that?" Laxus questioned.

"Laxus, I've been guild master for a long time. A very long time and my time is up. It's time for someone else to step up. I want you to succeed me as guild master." Makarov explained.

"I don't know… After everything that happened with the fighting festival, can I really become guild master?" Laxus replied.

"You seem to be forgetting how you came to our rescue on Tenrou Island during the S-class exams. You can't erase the past mistakes you've made but you can redeem yourself. The path to redemption is remembrance. You've proven you have what it takes to lead Fairy-Tail." Makarov spoke.

"I don't know what to say." Laxus stood dumbfounded.

"Say that you'll accept my offer." Makarov laughed.

"Of course, I'll gladly follow in your footsteps." Laxus smiled.

"We'll make the announcement after the wedding." Makarov said.

"Oh god, the wedding, I completely forgot." Laxus muttered.

"What did you forget?" Makarov inquired.

"Mirajane was supposed to get them a gift but I told her I would take care of it. I didn't want her to get stressed over it. It completely slipped my mind with the meeting and all." Laxus explained.

"You're going to be in big trouble." Makarov chuckled.

"I was supposed to get it a week ago." Laxus added.

"You still have three days to get it." Makarov noted.

"Yeah but I can't let Mirajane know I forgot." Laxus warned. "You better keep your mouth shut old man."

"This old man is wondering what you would do to buy my silence." Makarov smirked deviously.

"What do you want?" Laxus sighed.

"Mirajane confiscated my special magazines. I want you to get them back." Makarov requested.

Laxus just let out a defeated sigh.

XXXXX

Gray dragged himself through Magnolia exhausted and worn out. His white coat was covered in dirt and filthy. He had a large rucksack that he carried on his shoulder. Running his hand through his hair walked towards his apartment.

The ice-make wizard knocked on the door to his apartment and waited. The door opened and standing there was a relieved Juvia.

The water mage was dressed in her usual blue outfit and was happy beyond comprehension.

"Juvia was so worried!" Juvia exclaimed as she bear hugged Gray.

"I'm sorry for making you worry. Things went from bad to worse when that dark guild attacked." Gray apologized as Juvia dragged him inside.

"Juvia will prepare you a bath." Juvia said as she let go of Gray.

"No, not right now. I just want to stay like this for a little bit longer." Gray pulled Juvia back into a hug.

"Juvia understands. Juvia likes this." Juvia whispered.

"I thought I was going to die. There were so many of them. They were there to kill us. All I could think of was that I wouldn't get to see you again. I wouldn't get to see my son grow up." Gray spoke softly as he hugged Juvia tighter.

The loud crying of a baby interrupted the moment but neither Juvia nor Gray minded.

"It sounds like your son wants to see you." Juvia smiled.

Gray and Juvia walked towards the nursery where his son was. The ten month old baby bawled noisily from his crib. Gray reached into the crib and pulled out the baby. The child had Gray's dark blue eyes and Juvia's light blue hair.

"Daddy's home." Gray cried as he held his son.

"He missed you so much." Juvia smiled as she watched the father and son.

"I promise you son. I will not take any more jobs that will put my life in danger. You and your mother are the most important things in my life and I want to be here for you two." Gray vowed.

The baby continued to cry as Gray held him.

"It looks like he needs a change, Juvia will handle it. You should have a bath." Juvia suggested as she took the baby.

"Yeah, I think I will." Gray smiled as he watched Juvia and his son.

XXXXX

Jonquil Town was a small town with a population that barely reached one hundred. There were a few shops and everything sold was made and grown around town. The citizens all formed a close knit community and knew each other.

They knew something was off when a stranger showed up three months ago. The stranger bought an old house that was empty and began living there rarely interacting with the others. He lived on the outskirts of town and secretly watched over it. His strange appearance served to further isolate the villagers from him.

He wore a black long-sleeve top that also covered his neck and chin, a pair of black gloves, with a pair of dark black pants and on his waist, he wore a thick black belt with armour-like metal plates attached to it. Over his clothes he wore a long brown cloak with a beaked hood that covered most of his face.

As he sat on large rock outside his house two children ran up to him. The first was a boy name Kota; he had short brown hair and wore a blue shirt with a pair of brown pants. The second was a girl named Miho; she had blackhair tied up into two large pigtails. She wore a pink t-shirt with a grey skirt. Both of them were seven year olds and lived in the town.

"Mister, Mister, can you show us some more magic today?" Kota begged.

"Please, you're the first wizard to ever stay in this town." Miho made her eyes as big as possible.

The man just raised his right hand into the air. A purple-black light began illuminating the air around him. Then he dropped his hand back down and the light disappeared.

"Wow that was amazing. Can you tell us another story?" Miho asked.

"You must have met famous mages around the world, tell us more about them." Kota added.

The man sighed heavily. "Are your parents fine with you coming here every day?"

"Yes, they said we should." Kota stretched the truth.

"My parent s… said the same thing." Miho smiled.

"You're both lying." The man responded.

"How did you know?" Kota questioned.

"I'm sorry for lying but we want to learn magic. Jonquil Town has never had a guild; if we can learn magic then we can start a guild." Miho explained.

"You want to start a guild." The man laughed softly.

"What's so funny?" Miho asked ticked off.

"It's takes hard work and determination to start a guild. Do you think you two are ready for that responsibility?" The man inquired.

"Yes, we are. We can handle anything!" Kota exclaimed.

"Tell me what you know about guilds." The man asked.

"We know that Fairy-Tail is the strongest guild in the world. Erza is my favourite." Miho answered.

"Erza is lame compared to Laxus. Laxus is going to be the next guild master." Kota yelled.

"No way, Erza is going to be the next guild master. She's amazing." Miho retorted.

"Laxus!"

"Erza!"

"Laxus!"

"Erza!"

"I know about Fairy-Tail." The man said stopping the argument.

"You do!" Both the children exclaimed excitedly.

"Tell this fool that Laxus is the best." Kota said.

"Tell this bigger fool that he is wrong and that Erza is the best." Miho shouted.

"I can't say myself who's stronger." The man chuckled.

"You're no help." Kota pouted.

"Do you have any stories about Fairy-Tail?" Miho asked.

"I do have one story, the story of Salamander." The man answered.

"Who is Salamander?" Kota asked.

"Kota you idiot, Salamander is the one who used to destroy buildings and towns whenever he went on a job." Miho scolded.

"Oh yeah, I read about him. He hasn't been around for three years." Kota remembered. "Is he dead?"

"Well, yes." The man responded.

"I don't want to hear a story that ends with a Fairy-Tail wizard dying." Miho said sadly.

Before they could continue the shouts of the children's parents could be heard calling back for dinner.

"Thanks for showing us the magic Mister." Kota smiled.

"We've been coming here for the past week and we don't know what your name is." Miho said sheepishly.

"My name…" The man mumbled. "My name is Zeref."

"We'll see you tomorrow." Kota waved.

**XXXXX**

**Thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed it. Reviews are greatly appreciated as they inspire me to write and let me know what you think about the story.**


	3. The undying flames

**Chapter 3: The undying flames**

A wicked wind blew across Jonquil as darkness descended upon the unsuspecting town. Three ominous presences materialized in the centre of the small community startling most of the villagers.

The first was a woman with long, bright pink hair which was tied on top of her head in two large buns. She had a curvaceous figure which was amplified by her long, slightly loose white kimono. Her name was Ikaruga of the assassin guild Death's Head Caucus.

The second was a fairly tall and lanky young man. He had silver-coloured hair in a pompadour style. He wore a gray shirt underneath a blue jacket with long black pants and blue shoes. He was Rustyrose, a remnant of the Dark Guild, Grimoire Heart.

Lastly was another a slim young woman. She had long, straight and glossy black hair that was tied into a pair of bun-shaped loops at both sides of her head with the rest reaching down to her lower back. She wore a strapless dress highly reminiscent of a Cheongsam. Her name was Minerva Orland of the Dark Guild Succubus Eye.

"Are you sure he is in this back water town?" Ikaruga asked annoyed.

"I'm certain; my tracking spell traced his dark magic to this place." Minerva replied.

"This place is so out of the way he must have assumed that no one will look for him here." Rustyrose scoffed.

"What do we do if we find him?" Ikaruga asked.

"We subdue him, that's all." Minerva answered.

"Subduing the most powerful dark wizard of all time, that sounds easy." Rustyrose laughed.

"You're afraid you're not up to the task?" Ikaruga mocked.

"I've seen what he can do when angered, dark magic that can kill. It's unstoppable." Rustyrose shuddered.

"Unlike then, now you have us." Minerva laughed.

As Minerva looked over the small town, thinking about the best way to destroy it and flush out her target she was approached by the curious pair of Kota and Miho.

"What do you want?" Minerva scoffed looking down on the children.

"Are you a wizard?" Miho asked scared.

"I'll take care of this brat." Ikaruga volunteered drawing her sword, Mugetsu-Ryu.

"No, wait. These kids could prove to be useful." Minerva stopped Ikaruga.

"So do you little brats know where Zeref is?" Rustyrose questioned.

"How would these kids know where Zeref is?" Ikaruga scoffed.

"Zeref stays on the outskirts of town in the old house that no one lives in." Miho revealed.

Rustyrose shot Ikaruga a bragging smirk.

"Are you two perhaps friends with Zeref?" Minerva asked.

"Yes, we're good friends." Kota smiled.

A nefarious grin appeared on Minerva's face as she prepared to trap the children in her pocket dimension created by her territory magic.

In an instant the children disappeared from Minerva view and were saved from her territory magic.

"It looks like he finally joined the party." Ikaruga smirked as Zeref appeared behind them.

"We've finally found you. After all these years of hiding, you finally slipped up." Minerva laughed.

"You may be all powerful but we know your weakness." Rustyrose warned.

XXXXX

The day had just begun at the Fairy-Tail guild and Cana was already nursing a serve headache. The brunette was regretting every drink she had the previous night. Over the last few years her resistance to alcohol had begun to fade but she continued to drink just as much.

"I warned you about drinking all that wine." Lucy sighed.

"Last night was a tea party compared to what I usually have. How the mighty have fallen?" Cana lamented.

"I think you're being a bit dramatic now." Lucy laughed.

Currently at the notice board, searching for a job was Wendy. The sixteen year old had hit puberty and grown into her Edolas version completely.

"Hey, Wendy, over here! Join us!" Cana called out.

With a sigh the dragon slayer reluctantly joined Lucy and Cana.

"We hardly see you around. You're always busy." Lucy said.

"I'm training hard to make the S-class exams this year." Wendy responded.

"You're still young Wendy and have your whole life ahead of you. Don't get too disappointed if you don't get picked this year." Cana replied.

"I've been training with Gajeel and Laxus. I know I'm strong enough to take the exam." Wendy declared.

"You know that part of the exam may involve fighting an S-class wizard. There's Erza, Laxus, Gildarts, Fried, Gray." Lucy pointed out. "Do you think you can handle it?"

"You failed to include us in that list." Cana said offended.

"I thought we agreed we wouldn't be examiners in the S-class exams." Lucy retorted.

"Oh yeah, we did." Cana remembered.

"If a drunk and a ditz can pass then I have a chance." Wendy muttered under her breath.

"What did you say?" Cana asked unsure.

"I didn't say anything." Wendy answered with a fake smile.

"I heard you've been turning quite a few heads in Magnolia." Lucy teased.

"If I knew these would attract so much unwanted attention…" Wendy muttered looking at her chest.

"Trust me, you'll get used to it." Cana laughed.

"Is that why you wear such skimpy outfits?" Wendy asked.

"I never gave that much thought." Cana shrugged her shoulders.

"We should go out on a job together Wendy, something where we'll have lots of time to hang out together." Lucy proposed.

"Sorry but I prefer to do jobs alone. That way I don't have to split the jewels. You have to understand that rent at Fairy Hills is expensive." Wendy politely declined.

"Oh, I understand. You've become a very fine, independent wizard over the last few years." Lucy smiled.

"Thank you. I should get going now." Wendy said.

"Oh come on. Stay a while, have some lunch with us. Lucy is buying." Cana offered.

"I don't remember saying that." Lucy protested.

"Oh come Luc, you were able to negotiate a nice discount with your sex appeal yesterday." Cana smirked.

"Don't remind me, Roshi only gave me 5%. He values my sex appeal at 5%." Lucy whined.

"Huh, Roshi always gives me a 10% discount." Wendy thought out loud.

"Roshi has always had an eye for the younger ones." Cana nodded.

"I'll have to rain check on lunch. I really have to go." Wendy said getting up. The blue haired teenager then left the guild.

"She's still angry with me." Lucy sighed.

XXXXX

In the blink of an eye Ikaruga was upon Zeref with her Mugetsu-Ryu. Zeref back tracked dodging her swipes but the devilishly beautiful woman was hiding her true strength. Ikaruga increased her attacking speed tenfold and sliced at Zeref, or at least she thought she did. When she looked back she saw that she had sliced through his hooded cloak which he had abandoned.

"Where the hell did he go?" Ikaruga cursed.

"I'm right here." The voice came from behind the three dark mages.

"That voice…" Minerva cursed.

"That clown isn't Zeref." Ikaruga shouted.

Ruffling his pink hair to get it to take shape after being pressed down by the hood, Natsu stood proudly.

"If it isn't the crimson reaper himself, how did you trick us into thinking Zeref was here?" Minerva questioned.

"That's my little secret." Natsu smirked.

"Allow me to take care of this insolent brat." Rustyrose offered.

"You've been all talk since I've met you, I would like to see what you have to offer." Ikaruga accepted.

"Allow me to demonstrate the immense power of my Arc of Embodiment, Ghosts of Brittia." Rustyrose bragged.

Rustyrose unleashed a black aura from around his body sending out a wave of ghost-like entities, which enveloped Natsu immobilizing him.

"This is pathetic." Natsu smirked.

The dragon slayer became engulfed in crimson red flames and sparks of golden lightning eradicating the ghost-like entities.

"Going into your Lightning Flame Dragon Mode right of the bat, you're serious." Minerva smiled.

"If you're going to take this seriously then so am I. Come forth, Sacred Guardian Beast, Belfast the Hurricane and Guardian Saint Beast: Belcusas the Thunderclap." Rustyrose shouted.

Using his Arc of Embodiment magic, Rustyrose brought the creatures from his imagination to real life. Belfast was a giant, black Wyvern while Belcusas was an enormous, heavily-armoured, and physically powerful humanoid creature.

Spheres of lightning formed around Natsu's fists as flames swirled around the spheres.

"Lightning Flame Dragon's Fist!" Natsu grinned as he attacked at a blinding speed.

With a right fisted punch he tore through Belfast and with a heavy handed left fist he took the head off Belcusas.

"I am the King of the underworld. This arm cuts through everything with a deep black blade. Disappear to the edge of darkness!" Rustyrose recited.

After reciting the incantation, he transformed his right arm into a claw-like sword.

"Too slow." Natsu whispered appearing behind Rustyrose.

Natsu then floored the silver haired wizard with an elbow to the back of the head.

"I love it, such speed." Ikaruga laughed.

"You shouldn't talk about speed, you were defeated by Erza." Natsu jeered.

"That was over a decade ago. I've been training all these years and I'm much faster." Ikaruga refused to be rattled by the comment.

"Let us see if that training will allow you keep up with lightning." Natsu replied.

The two wizards moved at speeds which defied logic. Even Minerva couldn't keep track of the high velocity battle. Ikaruga used her sword to great effect, keeping Natsu on the defensive as he didn't dare go against the powerful blade bare handed.

The two split of and took up position a few hundred feet away from each other.

"You're indeed fast." Natsu mumbled looking at his shredded right sleeve.

"You're not too bad yourself. You've managed to avoid any serious damage." Ikaruga laughed.

"I guess I'm going to have…" Natsu responded as the flames and lightning died around his body.

"Just as I expected, four years ago I researched your Lightning Flame Dragon Mode and my research turned up the fact that you can't maintain the power for a long time without draining your magic reserves. It looks like you're done for." Minerva smiled.

XXXXX

Romeo wandered through the eastern forest on his way home after a job. The fire mage yawned as he stretched his hands in the air over his head. He was tired after the long, boring job that he had taken which required him to be constantly producing different colour flames as special effects for a play being produced by a friend of Erza's.

"You look lost kid." A voice laughed.

Romeo thought he recognized the voice and turned around; when he saw the person it confirmed that his guess was right although he wished he was wrong.

Behind him was a short, visibly hunched and yet quite well-built, pale violet man with blond hair. He had a widow's peak and prominent sideburns.

"Nullpuding …" Romeo mumbled. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here on a job." Nullpuding responded.

"Fine, just be on your way then." Romeo spoke.

The ground behind Romeo shifted and the sand rose out of the ground and formed into a slim, pale skinned young man with a fetish for black.

"Kurohebi…" Romeo cursed.

"That's going to be a problem because our job is you." Kurohebi hissed.

"Just because Flare decided to make nice with you Fairies that doesn't mean the rest of us are willing to forget and make peace." Nullpuding laughed.

"I don't want to fight you guys." Romeo said defiantly.

"That'll make things easy then, you just stand there and take your beating." Nullpuding laughed.

"We promise to make this as painful as possible." Kurohebi snickered.

"I can take the two of you on. I'm not scared." Romeo declared.

"Oh but you should be afraid." Nullpuding warned.

Romeo created blue flames around his hands as he prepared to defend himself.

Nullpuding enlarged his arms as he attacked Romeo. The young Fairy-Tail wizard fired his blue flames at the ground, freezing it and causing Nullpuding to slip. Romeo then spun around fired one at Kurohebi, but he just ended up freezing a sand clone.

Nullpuding picked himself up with incredible agility and charged forward, with both arms protruding spikes he struck Romeo in the back. Romeo was sent crashing into the frozen sand clone.

Kurohebi then emerged from the forest and made the sand from the clone surround Romeo. The sand then exploded violently around Romeo.

Romeo collapsed to the ground beaten and battered.

XXXXX

"I guess this takes all the fun out of everything." Ikaruga lamented.

"I'm still more than a match for someone who lost to Erza." Natsu responded.

"Consider yourself lucky boy, you will the first to die by my new Yasha's Empty Flash." Ikaruga gripped her sword.

Ikaruga swung her blade, unleashing a powerful invisible forced which split several dozen times creating hundreds of vicious energy blades which Ikaruga manipulated. The sword master pointed her blade and Natsu and the energy blades responded, swarming Natsu in a massive explosion.

"This turned out to be a massive waste of time." Minerva sighed.

"We should get back to the alliance." Ikaruga suggested.

"Where do you think you're going? This isn't over." Natsu called out as the smoke from the explosion cleared.

He was perfectly fine but his clothes we ragged and worse for wear.

"You survived that, I'm impressed." Ikaruga smirked.

"Was that really the best you have?" Natsu patronised.

"No, this is the best I have." Ikaruga responded. "Garuda Flame."

Ikaruga pointed her blade at Natsu. The ground erupted with flames as an unseen forced tore through the earth towards Natsu. The flames reached Natsu and an underground explosion similar to a volcanic eruption engulfed Natsu.

"You fool." Minerva shouted.

The violent flames surrounding Natsu slowly shrunk and as they shrunk it became evident that Natsu was sucking the flames through his mouth.

"He is a fire dragon slayer, he eats fire and you just fed him your most powerful attack." Minerva screamed.

When the flames completely died the two dark mages could see that Natsu had elongated, sharper, canines and and scaly arms with his finger nails grown into claws.

"Your Garuda Flame is extremely powerful to have activated my dragon force." Natsu smirked.

Minerva used her territory magic to vanish as Natsu attacked. Ikaruga swung her sword at Natsu but he was able to block the attack with dragon scale reinforced arms. Natsu began swiping at her with his claws while she fought back with her skilled swordsmanship.

The attacks traded were powerful enough to send shock waves through the small village. Natsu unleashed a powerful burst of flames as he parried a swipe from Ikaruga sending her sword flying out of her arms.

Natsu followed that up with a sternum cracking body shot. With Ikaruga's hunched body on his fist, Natsu unleashed all the power of the dragon force in a massive incinerating inferno.

When the inferno vanished Ikaruga was gone. The swordswoman fell from the sky several feet away on Rustyrose's unconscious body; she was badly burnt but still alive.

"You're not holding back at all, you meant to kill." Minerva noted as she appeared.

"Holding back is over rated." Natsu mumbled as the dragon force faded away and he returned to normal.

"If we do battle, this town will probably be destroyed." Minerva warned.

"I don't care about this town." Natsu revealed.

"You've grown cold over the years." Minerva licked her lips.

"Cold isn't even the word for it." Natsu smirked.

"You have no intention of letting us leave alive." Minerva sighed.

"If I did let you leave here, what would you give me in return." Natsu asked.

"I would give you anything you desired." Minerva answered.

"I can think of a few things I want from you specifically." Natsu smiled.

"Niel Wielg Mion Terse Elcantaeus: Yagdo Rigora" Minerva chanted while waving her hands in a circular motion.

"Fuck…" Natsu muttered.

Minerva conjured a gigantic statue covered in intricate designs and patterns over its body, the statue fell out of the sky onto Natsu creating a powerful blast that wiped Jonquil Town.

When the fallout cleared and the smoke disappeared Natsu was left standing in the ruins of Jonquil alone. Minerva, Ikaruga and Rustyrose were gone.

XXXXX 

**Thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed it. Reviews are greatly appreciated as they inspire me to write and let me know what you think about the story.**


	4. Wedding crashers

**Chapter 4: Wedding crashers**

Bells tolling echoed through Kardia Cathedral as the building filled with guests. The mood in the cathedral was one of elation and happiness. The pews were filling up with members of the Fairy-Tail guild and a few citizens who were lucky enough to be invited.

The sweet scent of flowers filled the cathedral because of the flower arrangements covering every inch of the stage. Daintily drooping lily bouquets adorned each pew.

Wakaba stood in the middle of the aisle giving orders and smoking his pipe. He was making sure that the cathedral had a soft lighting effect, which Levy had requested. Macao was moving like he was a kid again, running around the cathedral lighting all the candles and making sure the candelabras didn't have too much wax dripping down the sides. He was taking over the job Romeo was supposed to do.

Erza walked around rechecking and touching up on all the flower arrangements while Lisanna set about making sure the white silk bows on the pews stayed in place.

The wedding was in just a few minutes and everyone was being ushered to their seats by Juvia who was also checking up on the cloth runners down the aisle. Once everyone was seated, Wendy walked down the aisle dropping rose petals in preparation for the bride's arrival.

Gajeel and his groomsmen were dressed in tuxes and standing in a row at the front with boutonnieres in their lapels. The groom, Laxus and Gildarts all looked uncomfortable; none of them was used to being dressed so formally.

Fried, who had been made a special Zentopia priest just for the wedding, stood at the front waiting to officiate the ceremony.

The guests stopped whispering as the piano and harp began to play music. The doors opened and a hush fell as the ceremony began.

There were plenty of oohs and aahs as Asuka lead the bridesmaids into the hall proudly. Asuka stood with the bridesmaids performing the dual role of flower girl and ring-bearer. The little girl beamed with joy as she waved at her parents every few seconds.

The piano and harp player began playing the wedding march as Levy appeared. Master Makarov was walking her down the aisle to give her away. There was a rustle as everyone was rising and turning to get a good look at Levy in her wedding dress.

"Please be seated." Fried announced as he prepared to get things underway.

Fried looked nervous but composed himself.

"Who gives this woman to this man in marriage?" Fried questioned.

"I do." Makarov smiled.

Makarov let go of Levy's arm as Levy made her way to the front and stood across from the Gajeel. The two had massive smiles plastered on their faces. They then turned so that were standing side-by-side facing Fried.

"Dear friends and family, we are gathered here today to witness and celebrate the union of Levy and Gajeel in marriage. In the years they have been together, their love and understanding of each other has grown and matured, and now they have decided to live their lives together as husband and wife." Fried spoke.

"No other human ties are more tender and no other vows more important than those you are about to take. Both of you come to this day with the deep realization that the contract of marriage is sacred as are all of its obligations and responsibilities" Fried continued. "Let's get to the vows."

"Ladies first." Gajeel said.

Lucy handed Levy a sheet she had with her but the bookworm had her vows memorized and didn't need the sheet.

Before Levy could recite her vows the doors to the cathedral blew open forcefully, almost coming off the hinges.

"I'm sorry, I know I'm supposed to wait but I can't stand this. I object." A cruel voice mocked.

A tall old man walked into the cathedral. He had long, straight, black hair that reached down to his shoulders and a thin moustache. He wore an all too familiar long, blue coat. It was closed on the right side by a belt circling his waist and by another one going over his right shoulder, sporting Phantom Lord's symbol on its buckle.

"Jose Porla…" Gajeel cursed.

"What are you doing here Jose?" Makarov demanded to know.

"My favourite student is getting married. Off course I'll show up to prevent him from making this mistake." Jose mocked.

"You got ahead of yourself Jose." Another man said entering the cathedral.

Ivan Dreyar dressed in his "Alexei" medieval Knight armour entered with a big smile.

"You're here too Ivan." Makarov shouted.

"Gajeel was after all a part of Raven Tail even if he was your spy. It's only right we show up to the wedding." Ivan explained.

Jose and Ivan were soon flanked by Aria and Kurohebi respectively.

"You've made a big mistake coming here. You're outnumbered and we will not show you any mercy." Laxus threatened.

"You're not in any position to make threats son." Ivan laughed.

"I think Romeo, Max, Warren and Nab would see things our way." Jose chuckled.

The four names that Jose had riddled off were the four people who had not shown up to the wedding. It was assumed their respective jobs were taking longer than scheduled but now it appeared that Jose and Ivan had something to do with it.

"Right now, Nullpuding and Boze are watching the hostages. If we don't return in time, they'll execute them." Jose warned.

"Taking hostages, I would say that's low but we already know you're the lowest." Gajeel scoffed.

"You're one to talk. You joined the guild that destroyed us and now you're marrying her. While we rotted after the war, you prospered." Jose shouted.

"You betrayed us, did you think that there would be no repercussions." Ivan glared.

"What do you want? Did you come here just to ruin our wedding? In that case you succeeded." Levy yelled.

"No, we came for Gajeel's head. We planned this out the moment we heard about the wedding months ago. You got sloppy and let your guard down Gajeel." Ivan laughed.

"You can have me, just let them go." Gajeel yelled.

"It's not that simple. You're going to come to us. At our secret meeting place. Be there in two hours or the four die." Ivan announced.

A magic circle appeared above the four as Aria teleported them away.

"What are we going to do?" Laxus asked.

Levy collapsed and fell over in tears. Her dream wedding had been ruined and she was enraged that she was powerless to stop it.

"We have to come up with a plan." Makarov declared.

"Master, I'll lead the guild. We'll track them down." Erza exclaimed reequipping from her bridesmaid dress to her armour.

"Ivan and Jose will be keeping them somewhere close to Magnolia but far away from the meeting place. You should lead everyone discretely in your search." Gajeel advised.

"What about you?" Erza asked.

"I'm going to go alone." Gajeel cursed ripping off his bow tie. "I'll hold them off long enough for you to find Romeo, Max, Warren and Nab."

"Are you crazy, you can't go alone?" Laxus shouted.

"We'll come with you." Gildarts stated.

"He said to come alone; they've no doubt set sensory spells at the meeting place. If you come with me then they'll kill them." Gajeel refused.

"You can't go. You can't. They'll kill you if you go." Levy got up and wrapped her arms around Gajeel.

"I have to go shrimp, I have to take care of my past once and for all." Gajeel kissed Levy's forehead.

"No, I won't let you." Levy tightened her grip.

"I'll make you a promise. When I get back, we'll skip all this nonsense and sign the wedding certificate. Then we'll drink till we're stupid and party all night at the guild." Gajeel smiled as he freed himself from Levy.

The iron dragon slayer then set off running.

XXXXX

The bitter cross winds atop Mount Hakobe howled as they grew fiercer and fiercer. It was as if the mountain itself was trembling. Deep within the mountain beyond an intricate system of tunnels was a large chamber where Gajeel first met with Ivan.

Gajeel found himself at a four on one disadvantage facing Ivan, Jose, Kurohebi and Aria.

"I can't believe you actually came alone. The Gajeel I know would have left his guild mates to their fates and blamed it on them for getting caught." Jose laughed.

"I'm not the same person I was back then. I've learnt the meaning of friendship and family over the last few years." Gajeel retorted.

"Or maybe you just want to impress that blue haired bitch. I never knew you had a thing for flat chested women." Ivan mocked.

"I'll enjoy killing you." Gajeel snarled.

"Oh, that's where you're wrong. We'll be the ones doing the killing. Of course to make things sporting we want you to fight back but no Iron Shadow Dragon Mode. If you do, there are Lacrima in the cave roof that transmits everything to Nullpuding and Boze. They'll kill the hostages if you break the rules." Jose explained.

Gritting his teeth Gajeel activated his iron dragon's scales as he braced for impact. Kurohebi was the first to attack, surround Gajeel in sand.

"Iron Dragon's Club!" Gajeel shouted transforming his arm into a large steel club which he used to punch Kurohebi in the face taking out the mimic wizard.

The attack from Kurohebi was little more than a feint as Aria appeared behind Gajeel.

"So... So... Sorrowful, it's too sorrowful! Where does this sorrow come from?"Aria cried out.

As Aria got closer to Gajeel, he placed his hands before him, his open palms facing each other. Two magic circles appeared and enveloped Gajeel in airspace; blasting the magic out of his body and using it send the iron dragon flying away with great force.

"Your iron scales were able to save you from the full effect of Metsu but they will be of no help against Zetsu." Aria responded.

Aria extended his open palm hand towards Gajeel firing a series of airspaces. The barrage then exploded on contact, generating dozens small and yet powerful blasts that rattled Gajeel.

"Fall back Aria; we'll handle things from here." Jose smirked.

"Just look at you, you're pathetic. There's no way you'll be able to enjoy your wedding night in this condition." Ivan laughed. "Maybe I should take your place and have my way with your bookworm."

"I'll kill you!" Gajeel shouted as he tried to fire his roar but couldn't after having his magic drained by Metsu.

"All bark and no bite." Ivan mocked. "Shikigami Torrent."

Ivan created thousands of Shikigami dolls which began swirling around him. He then sent them towards Gajeel in the form of a violent torrent. The Shikigami dolls hit Gajeel from all sides exploding on contact.

"Dark Beam." Jose spoke mercilessly.

Jose shot beams produced by Darkness Magic out of his fingertips as if they were bullets. He fired the beams simultaneously from each of his fingertips targeting Gajeel's torso to wear down his scale.

"Let us finish this pathetic battle." Ivan suggested.

"Let us finish it." Jose agreed.

Before the two could finish off Gajeel the cave trembled as something crashed through the roof crushing Aria completely on impact.

"Sorry I'm late. I hope I didn't miss the party." Natsu smirked.

The fire dragon slayer was dress in a black version of the outfit he wore during the X791 Grand Magic Games.

"Salamander, you leave for three years and return only to end up killing your guild mates." Ivan laughed.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Natsu mumbled as he tossed several bloody, purple spikes towards Ivan.

"Nullpuding…" Ivan muttered.

"I'll tell you one thing; he did not want to part with those." Natsu laughed.

Natsu became engulfed in crimson red flames and sparks of golden lightning.

"What's wrong Gajeel; you've gone soft over the years." Natsu jeered.

Gajeel's eyes went white as his iron scales became renewed and shadows danced around his body.

"Now you die, Dead Wave!" Jose screamed.

Jose extended his right arm sideways and generated dozens of his ghosts around it, which in turn started circling his arm in spirals. The ghosts began shaping into a destructive wave of Darkness Magic. Jose fired the attack at Natsu splitting the ground in its path as it travelled.

Natsu held out his right hand and held back the attack while standing his ground. Natsu crushed the dead wave by closing his fist.

"Shikigami Dark Bomb." Ivan yelled.

Ivan released thousands of Shikigami dolls that assembled above Gajeel creating a spherical cluster in the air that exploded releasing a powerful wave of dark magic downwards at Gajeel.

Gajeel held his right hand up in the air blocking the wave of dark magic with ease.

"Lightning Flame Dragon's Roar!"

"Iron Shadow Dragon's Roar!"

Natsu opened his mouth and released a powerful blast of fire with lightning spiralling around it. Gajeel screamed in frustration and rage as he released a powerful vortex of metal shards with shadow spiralling around it.

The attacks hit Jose and Ivan respectively, crushing the two between them. The force of the explosion from the two attacks hitting their marks sent shockwaves through the mountain bringing down the entire cave and collapsing the mountain on top of them.

XXXXX

**Thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed it. Reviews are greatly appreciated as they inspire me to write and let me know what you think about the story.**

**Just to let everyone following the story know, I'm going to be writing exams now and won't have time. So I will return when everything is done in December. **


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